Jonathan "Nate" Jaqua (born October 28, 1981 in
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.
As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...
) is an American former
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
player.
Career
High school
Jaqua is a graduate of
South Eugene High School
South Eugene High School is a public high school located in Eugene, Oregon, United States.
History
The school was founded as Eugene High School around 1900, and was located at Willamette Street and West 11th Avenue in a brick building that late ...
, where he led his team to two Midwestern League titles and one co-championship with North Bend in 1996. South Eugene lost to South Medford High School in the Oregon Class 4A state title in 1998. He was named a Parade All-American twice and named Oregon 4A Player of the Year twice.
College
Jaqua played
college soccer
College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...
at the
University of Portland
, mottoeng = The truth will set you free
, established = 1901
, type = Private university
, religious_affiliation = Catholic (Congregation of Holy Cross)
, endowment = $218 million
, president = Robert D. Kelly
, students = 3,731 (fall 20 ...
from 2000 to 2002. He totaled 29 goals and 22 assists in his three years there was named West Coast Conference freshman of the year.
Professional
After his 2002 season, Jaqua signed a
Project-40 contract with
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
and entered the
2003 MLS SuperDraft
The 2003 MLS Superdraft was held January 17, 2003 in Kansas City, Missouri. It was the fifth annual SuperDraft held by Major League Soccer.
Player selection
Any player whose name is marked with an * was contracted under the Project-40 program ...
, where he was selected third overall by
Chicago Fire. Although Jaqua was expected to fill the hole in the Fire's lineup left by
Josh Wolff
Josh Wolff (born February 25, 1977) is an American soccer coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of Austin FC in Major League Soccer.
Playing career College
Born in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Wolff played three years of colle ...
,
Damani Ralph
Damani Ralph (born 6 November 1980) is a Jamaican retired footballer who played as a forward. His professional career spanned five years, two with Chicago Fire S.C. (2003–2004) and three with FC Rubin Kazan (2005–2007). He also ear ...
quickly took that position, and Jaqua was relegated to a reserve role, starting only five games, scoring two goals and two assists. Although Jaqua remained blocked at forward by Ralph and
Ante Razov
Ante Razov (born March 2, 1974) is an American soccer coach and former player who is an assistant coach for Los Angeles FC. One of the leading goal scorers in the history of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the all-time leading goal scorer for t ...
in the 2004 season,
DaMarcus Beasley
DaMarcus Lamont Beasley (; born May 24, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. A left-footed player, Beasley played both as a left winger and left wingback throughout his career. He retired from soccer after the 2019 MLS Season. ...
's departure to
PSV Eindhoven
Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, whi ...
left an open spot in the Fire midfield, which Jaqua soon took. He finished the season having started 21 games for the team, while scoring four goals and two assists. Thereafter, Jaqua continued to be used as an outside midfielder from time to time, however the majority of his appearances came as a forward.
Jaqua was chosen to participate in the
2006 MLS All-Star Game
The 2006 Major League Soccer All-Star Game was the 11th Major League Soccer All-Star Game, played on August 5, 2006, at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois between the MLS All-Stars and Chelsea. The MLS All-Stars won the match 1–0, with Dwayne ...
, taking on
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football ...
in an exhibition match at the Fire's home field,
Toyota Park
SeatGeek Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, about twelve miles southwest of downtown Chicago. It is the home stadium of the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League, Chicago Fire FC II of the MLS Next Pr ...
. Jaqua played well in the event, which the MLS side won in shocking fashion, 1-0.
After the 2006 season, Jaqua was not protected by Chicago in the
2006 MLS Expansion Draft. Expansion side
Toronto FC
Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...
selected Jaqua in the November 17, 2006 draft but weeks later traded him to
Los Angeles Galaxy
LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...
in exchange for a partial player allocation. On July 2, 2007, Los Angeles traded Jaqua to
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...
in exchange for
Kelly Gray
Kelly Gray (born April 7, 1981 in Palo Alto, California) is a former American soccer player. He does commentary for San Jose Earthquakes games on Comcast Sports Net Bay Area
Career
College
Gray played forward and midfielder at the University ...
and a second-round pick in the
2008 MLS SuperDraft.
He signed with
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n side
SC Rheindorf Altach
Sportclub Rheindorf Altach, also known as Rheindorf Altach, SCR Altach or simply SCRA, is an Austrian association football club based in Altach, Vorarlberg. It plays in the Austrian Football Bundesliga. The club is currently also known as CAS ...
on January 28, 2008, but was released despite performing well with the club. On July 13, 2008 he re-signed with
Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...
. However, on November 26 of that year, he was selected by
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...
in the first round of the
2008 MLS Expansion Draft.
Jaqua stayed with Seattle through the 2011 season. At season's end, the club declined his 2012 contract option and he entered the
2011 MLS Re-Entry Draft. Jaqua was selected by
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...
in stage two of the draft on December 12, 2011. He was offered a contract but did not sign with New England.
International
Jaqua has played for the U-18, U-20, and U-23
United States national teams. He got his first cap for the senior team on January 29, 2006, against
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and nearly scored in the U.S. victory.
Honors
Chicago Fire
*
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country.
The 2023 U.S. O ...
(2):
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
,
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
*
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
Eastern Conference Championship (1):
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
*
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
Supporters' Shield (1):
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
Houston Dynamo
*
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
MLS Cup (1):
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
*
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
Western Conference Championship (1):
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
Seattle Sounders FC
*
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country.
The 2023 U.S. O ...
(3):
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
,
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
Individual
* U.S. Open Cup Player Of The Tournament 2010
Personal life
Jaqua grew up on a ranch located on the McKenzie River in Oregon. He is the son of
Jon Jaqua
Jon V. Jaqua (born September 10, 1948) is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Lewis & Clark College.
He is the father of American soccer player Nate Jaqua w ...
, a former
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
player who played for the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
. Jaqua also has a brother Josh who played soccer at New Mexico and Portland.
He said if he could not be a professional soccer player that he would be an Olympic skier.
Jaqua married Violet Pham of Portland, Oregon, in 2014.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaqua, Nate
1981 births
Living people
American expatriate soccer players
American soccer players
Austrian Football Bundesliga players
Chicago Fire FC players
Expatriate footballers in Austria
Houston Dynamo FC players
LA Galaxy players
Minnesota Thunder players
Sportspeople from Eugene, Oregon
Portland Pilots men's soccer players
SC Rheindorf Altach players
Seattle Sounders FC players
United States men's international soccer players
University of Portland alumni
Soccer players from Oregon
A-League (1995–2004) players
Major League Soccer players
Major League Soccer All-Stars
South Eugene High School alumni
United States men's youth international soccer players
United States men's under-20 international soccer players
United States men's under-23 international soccer players
Chicago Fire FC draft picks
Association football forwards